Jürgen Klopp's fitness update on Divock Origi and Danny Ings
Jürgen Klopp has confirmed Divock Origi is ahead of schedule in his bid to return from the ankle injury he suffered against Everton last month.
And the German says the club's medical staff will take things 'day by day' as they assess whether the striker can feature in the Europa League final.
Origi has been sidelined since being forced off during the Reds' 4-0 thrashing of their local rivals, having sustained an injury which was initially expected to keep him out for the remainder of the campaign.
However, Klopp has revealed that he is already back out on the pitches at Melwood and has a chance to make the squad to face Sevilla in Basel on May 18.
"He is already training, not with the team, but like Hendo. He's on the pitch, he's running, he's passing and all this," he said.
"It's the same like with Hendo: day by day. We don't have to make a decision.
"He's [back] quicker than we thought, like it was with Emre, a really good job from all the therapists and the coaches. But we cannot force it, we take what we get.
"In this moment he is on a good way, a better way than maybe expected the day after the injury, but if the time is enough until next Wednesday, I don't know."
Liverpool's striking options were further boosted this week by Danny Ings' long-awaited return to training after a lengthy absence through a serious knee ligament injury.
The 23-year-old, who remains ineligible for Europa League action this term, has been out since the first week of Klopp's reign but is now back in contention for a first-team place.
The boss remains wary of pushing Ings too hard to secure him a run-out before the campaign concludes, though.
He added: "What can I say? Danny is healthy. He cannot be [match] fit in a champion way, not 100 per cent fit of course, but he's in a really good way.
"We will see what happens. For tomorrow, absolutely not. Maybe, maybe [he can be in the] squad, if it makes sense - I'm not too sure.
"We will see the progress over the next few days. His first session on the pitch was like he was never away, but then his body shoots back the next morning.
"Getting up, it's not too easy because it's a completely different intensity in this kind of training than before.
"We have to see how he reacts to all our training sessions, but he's really in a good way. I think it's a really good situation because he will be 100 per cent when we start for the pre-season, that's great.
"I'm pretty sure Ingsy sees it a little different because he'll think, 'If it is was one or two weeks longer this season, then I could have played for sure.'
"So that's how it is. Maybe it's not enough time for him, but next season, we'll have a lot of fun with him for sure."
Mignolet: Everybody's always ready to do a job
Simon Mignolet was delighted with the efforts of a much-changed Liverpool team as they claimed a routine 2-0 victory over Watford at Anfield on Sunday.
Jürgen Klopp made eight changes to his team in the aftermath of a draining Europa League semi-final decider against Villarreal on Thursday.
But there was no notable drop in the level of performance as the Reds ran out comfortable winners thanks to goals from Joe Allen and Roberto Firmino.
And Mignolet, who was one of few players to feature from the off in both fixtures, argued the nature of the win only showed the strength in depth possessed by Liverpool.
"Everybody's always ready to do a job and if everybody does their job we can [win] with any squad player," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"We've got a lot of talent in the team and everybody's always ready to help out when needed.
"Today, the young boys showed again what they can do, there's huge talent in there and they can win against a Premier League team as well."
Joe Allen: Simon's save was just as vital to Watford win
Joe Allen hailed Simon Mignolet as a key figure in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Watford on Sunday, highlighting a save the goalkeeper made when the Reds were just one goal ahead as a crucial moment in their eventual victory.
The hosts had carved out their slender lead in the first half, when Allen met a Christian Benteke knockdown in the box and diverted the ball home.
But that advantage came under threat in the second period as Odion Ighalo received the ball 12 yards from goal and worked the space to shoot with a clever drop of the shoulder.
The striker was denied by a brilliantly athletic save from the Reds' Belgian shot-stopper, though, and Allen believes that contribution was just as important as his opener.
"It's great to get on the scoresheet, and it helped us on our way [but] I think a lot of credit has to go to Simon," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"[He made] a great save at 1-0 and it allowed us to go on and get the second goal. We were comfortable from there on in.
"In recent games he's pulled off some great saves and I think he's shown how important he is to us."
Jürgen Klopp’s Europa League final message to LFC supporters
Jürgen Klopp has asked Liverpool supporters who are unsuccessful in obtaining a match ticket for the Europa League final not to travel to Basel and instead enjoy the game with close family and friends around the world.
The Reds have received an allocation of just 10,236 tickets for the game with Sevilla, which will be played at St. Jakob-Park on May 18.
Speaking at a press conference in the aftermath of his side’s 2-0 win over Watford on Sunday, Klopp began with a message for fans.
He said: “A few minutes ago I heard today was my 49th game as Liverpool manager. Usually you need one and a half years [to reach that number]. That means I’ve had 5,637 press conferences!
“I’ve said a lot of things in these press conferences and most of them are easy to forget, but last time I spoke, when I spoke about Basel, I spoke like a supporter. I do it sometimes because first of all I am a supporter and I like this game, but I invited all Liverpool fans to Basel and that was not too smart to be honest.
“Basel is a nice city, but Basel is not ready for [all of] us and it was my mistake. I have to take back the invitation to Basel – please, only people with tickets go there because anything else would be chaos and we don’t want this. We have to concentrate on football.
“All the rest that I said was right – it’s nice, it’s great and it’s wonderful to be in the stadium, but if you cannot be there then stay at home or come to Liverpool, watch the game together with your friends and let’s have a party after this.
“It’s really, really, really necessary that you now listen. Most of the time you can ignore what I say, but now it is really important. We have to only send the team plus 10,000 and the rest all over the world can enjoy the game with best friends and family.”
Klopp on deserved win, Benteke goal and Origi injury
Jürgen Klopp was encouraged to see Liverpool learn important lessons from last weekend as they preserved a deserved 1-0 win over Leicester City at Anfield on Boxing Day.
The Reds were the dominant side for much of the Barclays Premier League contest with the leaders and broke through in the 63rd minute as substitute Christian Benteke struck at the Kop end.
True to their sensational form this season, the Foxes mounted pressure in the search for an equaliser but – as called for by the boss pre-match – Klopp’s charges adapted to the changing circumstances to take the points.
He said after the final whistle: “It was deserved, I think. We made a game which we should make in these circumstances, against this opponent, with the wind and the pressing of the opponent, and all these things.
“We played too complicated in Watford last week, we played how we in Germany say ‘in their cards’ – how they wanted us to play. Today we did much better.
“I was really pleased with what we did in the first half-hour and then we had to change. It was really difficult for Christian to come in; he didn’t warm up until then really and had to start immediately. It was difficult. It was a little bit more open.
“At half-time, we knew if we stayed concentrated we would get our chances because the players looked good and it was not too intensive for us in the first half, so we could do more in the second half.
“We made this one goal and after all the set-plays of Leicester, especially the throw-ins of Christian Fuchs, it was difficult and close and not easy to defend. But we did it with a lot of patience and that’s good, so we deserved the three points.”
Benteke was brought on shortly before the interval after Divock Origi, who had impressed with a series of intelligent runs and sharp hold-up play to that point, picked up an injury.
Klopp said: “I hope it’s not too serious, we will see. They spoke about a little cramp.
“You have been here longer than me; I didn’t know the word before I came to England, but ‘hamstring’ is the worst word of the year for me. It’s always hamstring, hamstring, hamstring. That’s the intensity of the game and the fixtures.
“We will see. I hope it’s not too serious. We have the next game in three days and six days the next, nine days the next – I hope he can play in one of these games.”
The decisive moment of the encounter came when Roberto Firmino picked out Benteke with a cross from the left and the Liverpool No.9 sent an unerring side-foot finish into the bottom corner.
Asked if that kind of contribution is likely to bring the Belgian into contention for a starting berth as the festive schedule continues, the manager said: “He did really well in the last week in training but for today, we decided on this starting line-up because of the things you saw from Divock in the first half an hour.
“We needed his speed today. Christian is a fast player, but Divock is a little bit more a player for these runs, these ways and what we needed behind the last line of the opponent. He did really well for us, so that was the decision.
“Christian came in and it was not easy in the first 10 minutes, but in the second half it was much better – he fought really intensively and worked hard for the team. He made his goal.
“I don’t know too many strikers who always get situations like this and he did perfectly in the situation. He had another chance close to the final whistle, but we have to see.”
There is little time to dwell on the satisfaction of inflicting only a second defeat of the season on Leicester, however – the Reds travel to Sunderland for their next clash on Wednesday.
Klopp added: “All of the games are really, really important. This is important too. We beat the leaders of the table – a lot of teams have tried to before and it’s not too easy, so I am really pleased with what we did today.
“We have to work on [things], recover really quickly – not as quick as other teams because they play on the 28th. We got the three points and now we go on.”
Benteke reveals early resolution for 2016
An early New Year's resolution has been set by Christian Benteke as the Liverpool No.9 pledges to 'do more and show more' in the final days of 2015 and the future.
Halfway through his debut season at Anfield, the Belgium international has played 17 games and struck the target five times, showing flashes of the strength and finishing prowess that made him such a feared goalscorer at Aston Villa.
As the year draws to a close, the 25-year-old can look back on 12 months that included two trips to Wembley with his former club, a summer switch to the Reds and a first strike for the team in front of the Kop.
But Benteke acknowledges he is determined to start having an even greater impact on games, with the aim of making 2016 an even more satisfying chapter of his career.
“I think it wasn’t a bad year but now I’m a Liverpool player I really want to do more and show more,” the striker told Liverpoolfc.com.
“I’m looking to finish this year well and to start really well in the New Year. I want to stay fit and healthy and try to score lots of goals for Liverpool and Belgium.”
Jurgen Klopp talks to Sky Sports News HQ in exclusive Christmas interview
Forget the Queen's speech, complete your festivities by enjoying an exclusive in-depth interview with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp this Christmas!
The German sits down with Sky Sports News HQ in a wide-ranging interview which looks back at his first two-and-a-half months in the hot seat at Anfield.
Klopp's first day as Liverpool boss is on the agenda, as well as his burgeoning relationship with the fans, before the former Borussia Dortmund coach compares the Premier League to the Bundesliga.
Who is Marko Grujic? We profile Red Star Belgrade youngster after £5.1m Liverpool deal agreed
Liverpool have agreed a £5.1m deal to sign Marko Grujic from Red Star Belgrade - but who is he?
The Serbia U21 international has been compared to several of the world's best midfielders, including Steven Gerrard and Paul Pogba.
Here's all you need to know about the player who is set to become Jurgen Klopp's first Liverpool signing...
Martin Skrtel of Liverpool 'out for six weeks with hamstring injury'
Liverpool have suffered another injury blow after Martin Skrtel revealed he will be sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring injury.
The Slovakia international was forced off in the first half of Liverpool's 3-0 defeat at Watford and a scan confirmed the extent of the problem.
The player was quick to dispel rumours of a three-month absence, but confirmed on social media he does not expect to feature again until February.
Skrtel: Lovren will make us stronger
It's not just Liverpool who will benefit from the arrival of Dejan Lovren, according to Martin Skrtel – he believes the added competition can help bring out the best in him too.
The Croatia centre-back, a summer recruit from Southampton, made his debut against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday, lining up alongside the No.37 at the heart of the Reds rearguard.
With Daniel Agger, Mamadou Sakho, Kolo Toure and Sebastian Coates also in the defensive ranks, rivalry for places will be fierce - but it's a challenge Skrtel will relish tackling.
"Dejan Lovren had great season with Southampton and I am really happy that he is with us," he told his official website.
"We all need competition because that is what keeps you motivated. He will make us stronger, so I really welcome his arrival - and it will only make me work harder.
"Liverpool is not only about 11 players. We will have many games this season, so every player will be important."
Jordan: Now we are set for Southampton
The 4-0 rout of Borussia Dortmund that captivated a sell-out Anfield crowd was the perfect springboard for Liverpool's opening game of the season, according to Jordan Henderson.
Champions League regulars and German heavyweights they may be, but Sunday's visitors had no answer to the creativity and zip coursing through the Reds' performance on home soil.
Daniel Sturridge started the goalscoring with a well-taken finish from Philippe Coutinho's ingenious flick, before new signing Dejan Lovren leaped to head home Steven Gerrard's precise corner.
Coutinho found the back of the net himself within minutes of the second half kicking off and it was Henderson who capped an unstoppable display by tapping in the fourth.
With eight pre-season fixtures now completed, all attention turns to the beginning of the Barclays Premier League - and the midfielder has no concerns at all about the team's readiness.
"I felt we played very well throughout the game," the No.14 told Liverpoolfc.com after the final whistle at Anfield. "It was a good way to end pre-season and get ready for next week.
"Everybody is happy and hopefully we can continue that going into the game against Southampton. Most of our games in pre-season have been against top opposition, Champions League teams.
"Now we're ready for the real test next week. We're improving all the time. We continue to work hard and work on different things.
"We've got a young team that is developing very well and we've got a lot of experience despite being so young. Hopefully that will stand us in good stead for the season."
Having claimed a second-place finish at the conclusion of 2013-14, Brendan Rodgers' charges are preparing for another domestic assault and participation in the Champions League.
With the unique challenges of the FA Cup and Capital One Cup forming part of a busy schedule too, what does Henderson consider to be the scope of the club's ambitions in this campaign?
"To go as far as we can in every competition - Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup," was the simple response. "We just want to do well in every single competition we're in."
